2010 Volkswagen Golf GTI Review

The front grille on this VW GTI is all new and proudly sports the VW logo in chrome and tasteful looking red accents. The fascia also carries redesigned headlights, stronger front wheel-wells and new taillights to give it a small but nice kick in the looks department.

A comfy car, with room for friends and with the extra power it is super fun to drive! (Photo: Lacey Elliott/Auto123.com)

Certain generations may call this car a Rabbit, and they wouldn’t be far off. The Golf was originally introduced in 1974 in Europe but didn’t come to Canada until a year later and for some reason, it was called Rabbit. Then in 1985 it was re-named the Golf, then the Rabbit in 2007 for the fifth generation. So now, if you’re not confused already - the sixth generation is back to the Golf.

It has always been a Golf to me – that's from my generation, so I am happy to keep calling it that.

This GTI comes as a two or a four-door hatch. I have the two-door this week and I am loving the size! It is easy to get into the back seat and once back there, you have plenty of room (for a compact car!). A great size for the city, as it fits into all parking spaces and turns on a dime.

It will cost you approx $1,000 more to get the 5-door but is really only worth it if you regularly drive with passengers in the back seat. The wheelbase is the same length so no extra space, just extra doors.

The back seat has a 60/40 split and a ski pass through so you have tonnes of room for cargo and plenty for passengers if needed. This is a great feature if you want to take friends skiing and all be able to sit comfortably with equipment.

This GTI comes with the super fun, legendary 2.0L four-cylinder turbocharged engine that gives you 200hp and 207 lb-ft of torque. You can get either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed DSG transmission. It is SO zippy!

For most people the base model Golf will be good – snappy enough to make you smile. But the extra horsepower and torque in this GTI kicks it up enough for me to be grinning non-stop.

I am incredibly pleased with the manual transmission – I still feel it is the best way to drive a sporty car like this. The pedals are a nice distance apart for my feet and the shifter slides easily into gear.

This GTI comes with the super fun, legendary 2.0L four-cylinder turbocharged engine that gives you 200hp and 207 lb-ft of torque. (Photo: Volkswagen)